Thoughts on the new Apple Macbook?

‎03-17-201512:33 PM

I was just wondering, if anyone had any plans to get the new Apple Macbook? It only has the one USB C port on it and I think that is quite an interesting twist. Apple has chosen to go with an industry standard interface and abandon the Magsafe and Thunderbolt interface. In addition, they have switched to an Intel Core M processor that is no speed demon. This new processor does not require a fan and should be a lot quieter.

Where I find it interesting as a wireless professional is that they made the Mac book even lighter and this will definitely be a bonus when doing wireless site surveys. The weight of the device is only two pounds it’s practically a tablet with a keyboard. Apple has added a retina display to the device and this is a great idea and has long been needed. I have concerns about battery life with such a small device.

The new macbook only has one port on it. It will no longer be possible to charge the device and use the USB port at the same time. This will require the use of a hub, and I have found that some hubs cause a lot of random wireless noise while using site survey software such as Airmagnet or Ekahau site survey.

This is a first generation product from Apple and I am confident all the issues will be worked out eventually. What do you think about it and will it replace your existing Macbook for your wireless work, and will it have any issues with 802.11AC access points?

Re: Thoughts on the new Apple Macbook?

‎03-17-201503:33 PM

The new MacBook is probably for people who are coming up on that 2 year cycle and can afford to swap out their laptop. For most people doing site surveys it will be "death by dongle" to get their existing peripherals to connect. For others that already have a macbook Air, they can probably get by without this. Again, for others, who upgrade every two years and do not do any heavy-duty work with their mac, they are probably the target audience.

If you can hold out until all of your other devices get usb-c, this could be worth it.